A lot has been reported in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But does the web variation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?

Bingo is an familiar game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to change with the legislating of the smoking ban across UK.

Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular areas where people enjoy smoking.

The results of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t abandoned this age old game?

The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course betting on on the web could never replace the communal aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no alternative.